Line boring machines are used to bore cylindrical apertures in metal work pieces. There are many applications for such machines including, for example, boring apertures for mounting bearings in marine propulsion systems or in excavating machines.
Prior art line boring machines are typically large, expensive structures which are difficult to transport and cumbersome to operate in many working environments. These problems could be avoided if it were possible to bring the work piece to the line boring machine and operate the machine in a properly equipped workshop. However, the work piece is normally part of a relatively massive piece of equipment which is more difficult to transport than the line boring machine. Moreover, it is normally necessary to complete the line boring operation quickly in order to minimize down time of the equipment which undergoes the line boring operation. Accordingly, it is usually necessary to cope with the problems of transporting the line boring machine to the work piece and operating it in under less than ideal conditions.
The present invention overcomes the limitations of prior art line boring machines by providing a portable line boring machine which one man can easily transport, assemble and operate in virtually any working environment.